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Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is commonly viewed as one of the most complicated but well-loved poker games. It’s a game that, even more than regular Omaha poker, invites play from every level of players. This is the primary reason why a once obscure variation, has grown in popularity so amazingly.
Omaha 8 or better starts just like a regular game of Omaha. 4 cards are given out to every player. A round of betting ensues in which gamblers can wager, check, or drop out. 3 cards are given out, this is known as the flop. Another sequence of wagering ensues. After all the players have either called or dropped out, another card is flipped on the turn. Another sequence of betting happens and then the river card is revealed. The entrants must attempt to put together the best high and low five card hands using the board and hole cards.
This is where some players can get baffled. Contrasted to Texas Hold ‘Em, in which the board can make up every player’s hand, in Omaha hi/lo the player has to use precisely three cards on the board, and exactly two hole cards. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Unlike regular Omaha, there are two ways a pot can be won: the "higher hand" or the "lower hand."
A high hand is exactly how it sounds. It is the strongest hand out of every player’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the very same concept in almost all poker games.
The low hand is more difficult, but really opens up the play. When deciding on a low hand, straights and flushes do not count. A low hand is the worst hand that might be made, with the lowest being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Because straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest possible hand. The lower hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and smaller. The low hand takes half of the pot, as does the higher hand. When there is no low hand available, the higher hand takes the complete pot.
While it seems complicated at the start, following a few hands you will be agile enough to get the fundamental nuances of play simply enough. Since you have individuals betting for the low and wagering for the high, and seeing as so many cards are in play, Omaha/8 offers an amazing array of betting possibilities and because you have numerous individuals battling for the high hand, along with a few battling for the low hand. If you love a game with a lot of outs and actions, it’s worth your time to play Omaha 8 or better.